As many of you know, for the last year, K. Norwood Portraiture and Fig-Mint Photography have shared a studio, but we have decided to take the next step.

As of January 1, K. Norwood Portraiture will be coming under the Fig-Mint Photography umbrella!

For those of you who have been loyal Kathy Norwood clients as she has served the Bryan College Station area for many years, don't worry! You can still request that she shoot your images! Moving forward, all scheduling, consultations, and ordering will be streamlined with Fig-Mint Photography.

We are so excited to be able to serve the Brazos Valley with a top notch service experience and 2 PPA Certified Professional, Master Craftsman Photographers!! (And Kathy will be receiving her Master of Photography designation this January!!)

Next we shoot!! We will create custom images that tell the story of your family's daily life with a little bit of sass of course... :)

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION

Today I have been feeling all the feels for some of my favorite local business owners because you know what Aggieland?!! Bryan & College Station has some of the best small business entrepreneurs ANYWHERE.

Here are a few that have personally touched my heart and made my life easier and more enjoyable lately. I hope these suggestions help you out as well.

1. The Dine-In Dude.

Did you know that every week, this fabulous chef creates an amazing dish of the week, announces it on facebook, and BOOM, he sells out within an hour or two. Then, you pick up your tray of AMAZING dinner (or get it delivered,) and you don't have to cook that night.....WHAT?! I know. I will be digging into a pan of King ranch chicken here in a matter of hours and I am PSYCHED.

2. My Doc BCS

If you are a cash pay medical patient, meaning you are on a med-share plan, faith based plan, or just flat out pay cash, I am about to let you in on a little secret. IT IS CHEAPER to have a...

When I was in high school in Atlanta, we had our senior photography sessions during the summer before, or early fall of senior year.

This was great because during the school year, when different organizations finished their season and had banquets, they could collect the images for slideshows, any yearbook requests were ready to go, and most importantly, we were not rushing to get them done in a short 2-3 week spring window after the weather improved but before we needed to send out graduation announcements.

When I moved to Texas, however, it was all different and here is what I see:

1. Photographers are scrambling to try to fit everyone into the short window

2. "We already bought the invitations, they offered at school, and now I wish we had waited for the photos and made our own."

3. It's raining for the 12th day in a row, as happens in spring time...

To begin, I have no plans to bum you out. But, I would like to have a frank conversation about the importance of taking portraits now, because you won't be here forever.

Photographers make pretty photos, and we like to create pretty thoughts when we create our marketing materials. Butterflies, flowers, and whimsical icons are everywhere in the photography marketplace.

But here is the problem: marketing is about reaching out and grabbing you by the pain point. How to solve a problem that you have.

People marketing air conditioners market to your fear of being hot.

People marketing running shoes market to your foot and back pain.

People marketing sunscreen are playing to your fear of terrible sunburns and skin cancer.

But photographers regularly struggle with marketing because its somehow taboo to talk about how your portraits will be the best memory keepers that your loved ones will have when you die. (OMG did she say die?! She can't do...

Ok, so we are now a full week (or more) into summer vacation and you are already googling the academic calendar for next year to see when you are going to get your full productive hours of the day back...

Take a breath. It's going to be a while.

BUT! In the mean time, the beautiful part about summer in Bryan and College Station, is that we have excellent parks, lots of places for swimming and splash pad fun, and that means lots of great opportunities to get some sweet summer photos of your kiddos.

So here are my pro tips for getting the best shot of your kid with just your phone:

1. Look for the light.

If you are inside, try turning off any electric lights, and just work with window light. It is best to position yourself (and your phone) between the window and the area where your kids are playing and to focus on their faces. This way, the camera in your phone will set the exposure to correctly to your child's face, and the intensity of the light will fall off behind them,...

Years ago, when I was first starting my photography business, we had a family friend who was battling breast cancer.

We always knew that there was a chance that we would loose her, but the thought of her 3 young daughters loosing a mother was just unbearable, so we all kept a good attitude and her large community of friends in our very close knit town did everything we could to make the final year the best it could be.

Many people offered time at beach houses, cooked meals, drove the kids to various activities, etc.

What could I do? I had this camera and this vision of lifestyle family photos, so we picked a sunny afternoon and I came over to capture a day snuggling in bed, sitting by the pool, and snagging those tiny moments.

Years later, scrolling through my facebook feed on her birthday or the anniversary of the day she was called up, one of those images will catch my eye, and my breath. Her daughters share them often. They treasure them.

It can be tough to search through pages and pages on google. Here are a few tips to help you through the process:

1. Who do you want in the photos. Do you want images of just the baby or are there siblings and parents and maybe even grandparents involved? Many newborn photographers do not photograph anyone besides the baby so if family photos are important to you, be sure to ask.

2. Are you looking for a year long portrait package? Some photographers will offer a session collection pack if you sign up for a few portrait sessions throughout baby's first year. For example, my portrait package comes with 4 sessions, that can be custom scheduled depending on baby's milestone progress, and then at the end of the year, I will pre design an album with images from each session, taking the pressure off of you to keep up with a baby book.

3. Do you want someone to create the print work for you? Many photographers in the...

It is time to talk to your senior about their Bryan, College Station Senior Pictures!

Every year, I get the same panicked calls from moms in mid April, "Help! Graduation is right around the corner and we have not had our senior portraits taken!"

Don't let this happen to you!

Our Senior session slots will book up quickly and we will take you through a complete custom process, with a design consultation, shoot day, and ordering appointment and you must allow enough time if you want your pieces back in time for graduation weekend!

What's Next?

Choose your session option:

Option 1: Simple Senior PortraitIn-studio only head shot session,

1 outfit, 1 background

This option is best for the senior just trying to please Mom to get in and out if the studio quickly.

Option 2: Standard Senior Photos

In studio plus 1 alternate location,

Up to 4 outfits total

Our most popular option ensures the formal in- studio portraits, but allows us to venture out to a park, sports...

You remember the last time someone came over to your house and said, "OMG I LOVE that thumb drive in your drawer. What photographer did you use? They must be amazing!"

No?

The other night my Father in law sent me the most incredible photograph. It was take in in 1982 and my husband as a baby was sitting on his lap in the MOST fantastic clash of wardrobe, hair and glasses you could ever hope for. It was glorious.

He found it when he was cleaning out a closet and within minutes there were texts flying between various family members all bonding and having a great laugh from across the country.

So what I want you to understand here is that I am not opposed digital images. The ability to text these images back and forth came from the advent of digital imaging technology, but I PROMISE you, that this moment was brought you you by: the old school paper print.

He never would have found this image cleaning out an old hard drive. He found it cleaning out a...